1 killed, 4 rescued after Popocatépetl volcano ejected toxic gasses and volcanic rock in Puebla, Morelos

ONE woman is dead and four others have been rescued after an active volcano spewed toxic debris.

The terrifying event took place early on Friday morning at the Popocatépetl volcano in Puebla, which is located in the state of Morelos in the middle of Mexico.

As reported by a local news site known as Canal 13 Puebla, the rescue operation included a number of different organizations that worked together to successfully bring five climbers down from the volcano.

A 25-year-old woman died after an explosion at the Popocatépetl volcano , reported Ana Lucía Hill Mayoral, Secretary of the Interior of Puebla. The victim was part of a group of climbers who climbed the site last Wednesday.

The secretary explained that the group of people approached a “very dangerous” area, that is, 300 meters from the crater.

According to the Puebla government, it was not until Thursday afternoon that a call for help was received at the Amecameca command center and the care protocols were automatically activated.

At approximately 1:00 a.m. today, the people were identified, reached, and the descent began. Hill Mayoral said that it was at 8:20 in the morning that they arrived at Paso de Cortés to later be transferred to hospitals in the State of Mexico.

In the morning, the Alta Montaña group reported that they already had the location of two injured people; however, access was difficult due to persistent snow and rain.

This Friday morning, the  National Meteorological Service announced that a light emission from the Popocatépetl volcano was observed.

“The trajectory forecast is towards the northwest, west-southwest and south-southeast, over the municipalities of Atlautla, in EdoMéx, and Tochimilco, in Puebla,” the service reported.

Popocatépetl: Are there warnings for climbers?

Since October 2019 on its website, the National Center for Disaster Prevention (Cenapred) published a warning for climbers to avoid approaching less than 12 kilometers from the crater.

The volcano restarted its eruptive activity since December 1994, for which the Civil Protection authorities implemented the volcanic alert traffic light, to protect people’s lives, since the explosions expel rocks with temperatures above 1000 degrees Celsius.

“Do not risk your life. Respect the restricted area of ​​12 kilometers of access to the volcano”

In addition, Cenapred reported that on April 30, 1996, five climbers died after exceeding the restricted area and being hit by incandescent fragments.